Deuteronomy 32:8

When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance,.... In the times of Noah and his sons, in the days of Peleg, who had his name (that is "Division") from thence, Genesis 10:25; "the Most

When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

When God by his providence did allot the several parts of the world to several people, which was done Genesis 10 Genesis 11. See ,9 Amos 9:7 ,27. Separated the sons of Adam, i.e. divided them in their languages and habitations according to their families. He set the bounds of the people, i.e. he disposed of the several lands and limits of the people, so as he did reserve a convenient and sufficient place for the great numbers of the people of Israel, whom he designed to make as numerous as the stars of heaven. And therefore he so guided the hearts of several people, that the posterity of Canaan, which was accursed of God, , and devoted to ruin, should be seated in that country which God intended for the children of Israel, that so when their iniquities were ripe, and God’ s time came, they might be rooted out, and the Israelites might come in their stead.

Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.Ver. 8. He set the bounds of the people.] Of the seventy nations reckoned, and the seventy souls of Israel. The Jews have a saying, that those seventy souls were as much as all the seventy nations of the world, as being the Lord’ s portion, for whom he espied out the land of Canaan, which is "the glory of all lands."

(8, 9) Comp. Deuteronomy 21:16. “when the Most High made nations to inherit, When He parted the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the peoples, According to the number of the sons of Israel. For the portion of Jehovah is His people, Jacob the cord [7] of His inheritance” [7] i.e., limit.The allusion is to the dispersion from Babel (Genesis 10, 11). The Jews were accustomed to reckon seventy nations and languages in that dispersion. Seventy members of Jacob’s household went down into Egypt. And literally they interpret this passage to mean that in dividing the lands to the peoples, Jehovah left room for His own, so that they might inherit the promised land without any undue pressure upon other nations. It is noticeable that the children of Lot and Esau were carefully preserved from disturbance by Israel (Deuteronomy 2). But this is the bare literal interpretation. The true meaning of the passage is given by St. Paul in his speech at Athens: “He determined (for all nations) times before appointed, and the setting of the boundaries of their habitation, that they might seek the Lord.” The nations were so disposed in the world, and so developed, that each might have its opportunity of seeking Jehovah, in due season, through contact with His people—“if, as was certainly not impossible, they might feel after Him and find Him, who is not far from any one of us. For we are even His offspring.” Hence He appoints our inheritance. With some such thought as this, the LXX. translate the latter half of Deu 32:8, “He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the angels of God” The chosen people were to be His messengers to the nations. He chose Israel for His own portion, that through them He might inherit the world. And yet in the face of this glorious calling and mission, the undutiful behaviour of Israel was their one great blot. They had only to accept the position already prepared for them, and they refused!

Verse 8. When the Most High divided to the nations, c.] Verses 8 and 9, says Dr. Kennicott, give us express authority for believing that the earth was very early divided in consequence of a Divine command, and probably by lot, (see Acts 17:26) and as Africa is called the land of Ham, (Psalms 78:51; Psalms 105:23; Psalms 105:27; Psalms 106:22), probably that country fell to him and to his descendants, at the same time that Europe fell to Japheth, and Asia to Shem, with a particular reserve of Palestine to be the Lord's portion, for some one peculiar people. And this separation of mankind into three bodies, called the general migration, was commanded to Noah, and by him to his sons, so as to take place in the days of Peleg, about two hundred years afterwards. This general migration was prior to the partial dispersion from Babel by about five hundred years. He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.] The Septuagint is very curious, ΕστησενὁριαεθνωνκατααριθμοναγγελωντουΘεου. "He established the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God." The meaning of the passage seems to be, that when God divided the earth among mankind, he reserved twelve lots, according to the number of the sons of Jacob, which he was now about to give to their descendants, according to his promise.

8. Most High] Heb. ‘Elyτn, Numbers 24:16, Isaiah 14:14, and many Pss. gave … inheritance] See Deuteronomy 1:38. separated] Genesis 10:32 (P). children of Israel] The purpose of His division was to leave room for Israel’s numbers. But for the sons of Israel LXX has ἀγγέλωνθεοῦ, angels of God, i.e. sons of ’El, after a late Jewish conception of a guardian angel for each nation (Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:20 f., Deuteronomy 12:1, Sir 17:17), an antithesis to Jehovah’s own guardianship of Israel in the following vv., which accordingly LXX introduces by and = but in place of Heb. for. This reading and interpretation is accepted by Steuern., Berth., Marti, Robinson. But the text as read by the LXX seems to be rather an adaptation of the Heb. to the conception aforesaid (Dillm.); and it is difficult to see how the Heb. arose out of the LXX text if the latter was original.

8. The Most High divided to the nations their inheritance — Then Israel was in his thoughts. He selected Israel as his peculiar people.